{"id":806276,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/806276/?format=json","text_counter":16,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"imported sugar unfit for human consumption.” Why would anybody import and store sugar that is unfit for human consumption? Mr. Speaker, Sir, on a wider picture, the sugar factories of Mumias, Nzoia, Chemelil, Muhoroni, Sony, Ramisi, among others, are state-owned and funded. If sugar factories were allowed to import sugar, how much was imported by these state-owned factories rather than the single individual-owned factory that we know? It should be noted that reckless importation of sugar has crippled all the sugar factories that I have mentioned. Available information indicates that a single privately- owned medium sized sugar company, situated in Western Kenya, imported over 500,000 metric tonnes of sugar, which is about our national consumption. This reckless and criminal conduct has crippled the factories that sustain the livelihoods of well over 10 million Kenyans who live directly or indirectly on these factories and the sugar production. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are now noticing publicized fanfare of arrests of retailers and wholesalers without tracing the chain back to the importers. The wholesalers and retailers get sugar from the importers. Where are these importers? What is going on in the sugar sector is a scandal of monstrous proportions. Kenyans and particularly we the representatives of the people must be told the truth about this scandal. Apportioning blame, name calling and making politically laced statements does not resolve the problem. It does not require rocket science to know who is causing havoc in the sugar sector and why those who are clearly culpable remain untouchable. The Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of this House should, on its own motion or on the direction from the Chair, be investigating the matter to protect Kenyans from this uncontrolled greed. Mr. Speaker, Sir, just to add to this formal Statement, when the Pan African Paper Mills in Webuye was sold to one Rai, the hype was that it was being sold to be revived to make pulp and paper and create jobs. Little did we know that the massive godowns of Pan African Paper Mills in Webuye were going to be turned into godowns for storing contraband sugar. The sugar comes all the way from Brazil and information available, and is in the hands of the investigation agencies, is that the sugar was loaded in Brazil and brought as cargo on open ship. It was loaded into trucks like sand; shovelled around and piled in godowns like construction sand. This is the same sugar that we want to feed Kenyans on. Secondly, I come from the Western part of Kenya where West Kenya sugar Company is. Nobody has said that the product of West Kenya Sugar Company is poisonous. What we are saying is that fraud is being perpetrated using the West Kenya Sugar Company to import and mislabel sugar from elsewhere, as a product of that company. This is being perpetrated by using West Kenya Sugar Company to import and mislabel sugar from elsewhere as a product of that company and then circulate it into the market. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Government should come clean on the issue of how the sugar trade is managed in this country. You have seen godowns and small shopkeepers in Eastleigh and all over being arrested, locked up and harassed for possessing trading material called sugar that they have probably bought from wholesalers and importers. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."}